Uses for Thundershirts

dog

A Simple Solution to a Common Problem

About us

Dog anxiety is a surprisingly common problem and includes issues like fear of thunder, fireworks, separation, travel, crating, problem barking and much more. Millions of dogs in the United States suffer from anxiety severe enough that their owners are seeking help. And these anxieties are often very serious problems for their owners… destroyed furniture, damaged homes, personal injury, lost sleep, loss of control, financial strain. These problems frequently cost owners thousands of dollars in veterinarian, trainer, and damaged property bills. Medication is the most common approach used to treat anxiety… unfortunately, drugs are expensive, time consuming, risk negative side effects, and often result in very limited improvement. But there is another solution that is highly effective for most dogs. The history of Thundershirt is truly a story of a common problem in need of a simple solution.

Thundershirt Company has now helped many thousands of dogs around the world. And Thundershirts are being rapidly embraced by professionals; thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers are now recommending Thundershirts for their anxiety cases. Dog anxiety often brings the dog/human relationship to the breaking point, and far too many of these dogs end up abandoned or in shelters. Our mission is to help relieve the suffering of millions of dogs and to help strengthen the dog/human bond. As part of that mission, we are assisting shelters and rescue groups across the country through financial support and donations of Thundershirts. Click here to learn more about how Thundershirt Gives Back.

How It Started

Thundershirt’s founder, Phil Blizzard, has a 10-year-old, 50-pound mutt named Dosi who will make friends with anyone. But Dosi was extremely frightened by loud noises like thunderstorms and fireworks. Even when the skies were clear, Dosi’s behavior would let her family know if a thunderstorm was coming. Her tail would go between the legs and the shakes and panting began. If it was during the night, she would plant herself on Phil’s chest and keep her family awake for hours. They visited three different veterinarians over the years to find a remedy. The only suggestion was to sedate Dosi, but even the veterinarians didn’t think drugs were an effective solution. You have to anticipate the storm by 1-2 hours for the sedatives to take effect; not an easy task for storms that arrive in the night. And worse, while sedated, dogs can be very unstable on their legs and become a danger to themselves. Dosi would try to jump off the bed and risked breaking a leg, and she would remain groggy and unstable for many hours after the storms had past. So after a couple of uses, the sedatives were set aside.

Noise desensitization training was next for Dosi. The concept is to expose the fearful dog to low levels of the problem noise (e.g. thunder recordings) until she becomes accustomed to it and then slowly increase the levels until she is no longer afraid of the real noise. One common problem with this approach is that many dogs don’t react to recordings of thunderstorms or fireworks. They can tell the difference, probably due to the absence of other traits like the smell of ozone, or the feel of barometric pressure changes. This was the case with Dosi… the sound of a recorded thunderstorm didn’t concern her in the least. But even if it did, according to most trainers we have consulted, desensitization is very rarely successful. It takes a tremendous, long-term time commitment by the owners.

So for several years, Dosi just had to suffer through the many thunderstorms and 4th of July fireworks. But then they heard about an alternative approach to relieving noise anxiety...the unique approach now offered by Thundershirt. It was amazing. With the very first usage, within two minutes, Dosi’s shakes had practically disappeared, and she lay down. And the gentle, constant pressure of Thundershirt has worked for Dosi ever since. Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if anxious, fearful or over-excited. To learn more about how Thundershirt works, see How It Works.

To see the Thundershirt Usage Instructions, click here.

Developing Thundershirt

The development team had five major objectives in developing the Thundershirt:

  • Easy to put on and take off.

    No one needs to be struggling to manipulate something over a stressed out dog’s head or trying to thread legs through leg holes.

  • Easy to create a snug, comfortable fit.

    Essential for its effectiveness in treating noise anxiety.

  • Attractive, durable fabric that resists collecting hair.

    Must be able to machine wash when necessary and last at least the life of the initial user.

  • Attractive looking when worn.

    Not everyone enjoys dressing up their dogs, but no one wants their dog to look silly!

  • Inexpensive.

After many prototypes and continuous improvement, all of the objectives have been achieved with Thundershirt’s patent-pending design. And the feedback we’re getting from customers has been terrific!